Container with foot-activated lid

ABSTRACT

A container with a foot-activated lid is described. An foot-activation mechanism for coupling a foot pedal to the lid includes a horizontal wire disposed horizontally across the bottom of the container, and a vertical wire disposed vertically along a side wall of the container. The foot pedal is mounted on the bottom of the container and pivots around a hinge located at a distance from the side wall. When the foot pedal is pressed down, the horizontal wire rotates around its main segment, and the first bent segment pushes the vertical wire upward. The upper end of the vertical wire is coupled to a pivoting portion of a lid mounting member and causes the lid to open when the vertical wire moves upward.

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/732,490, filed Nov. 1, 2005, which is hereinincorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a container with a foot-activated lidtypically used as a trash container in households and other places.

2. Description of the Related Art

Containers with a foot-activated lid are widely used in households andother places such as hospitals, etc. as trash containers. They may bemade of plastic or metal, and may have a variety of shapes includingcylindrical and rectangular. In such a container, a foot pedal istypically provided near the bottom of the container, and an activationmechanism connects the foot pedal to the lid to open the lid when thefoot pedal is pressed down. The lid typically closes under its ownweight when the foot pedal is released.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a container with an improvedfoot-activation mechanism.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth inthe descriptions that follow and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Theobjectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized andattained by the structure particularly pointed out in the writtendescription and claims thereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the presentinvention provides a container that includes a container body, a lid, alid mounting member having a fixed portion attached to the containerbody and a pivoting portion attached to the lid, the pivoting portioncapable of pivoting with respect to the fixed portion, a pedal partiallydisposed inside of the container body and passes through an opening neara bottom surface of the container body, a pedal mounting member disposedon the bottom surface of the container body, the pedal mounting memberincluding a hinge for pivotally mounting the pedal thereto, the hingebeing located at a distance from a side wall of the container body, andan activation mechanism. The activation mechanism includes a first wirehaving a main segment disposed horizontally across a bottom floor of thecontainer body, a first and a second bent segment at each end of themain segment, the second bent segment disposed under the pedal, thefirst and second bent segments each being disposed at an angle withrespect to the bottom floor of the container body, and the first wirebeing rotateable around the main segment; and a second wire having amain segment disposed vertically along a side wall of the containerbody, a lower end of the second wire being connected to the first bentsegment of the horizontal wire, and an upper end of the second wirehaving a handle coupled to the pivoting portion of the lid mountingmember.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and areintended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a container according to an embodiment of the presentinvention, taken from above the open lid.

FIG. 2(a) illustrates the foot pedal of the container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the foot pedal and itsmounting mechanism.

FIGS. 3(a)-(c) show the horizontal wire of the container of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 4(a)-(b) show the vertical wire of the container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows the container of FIG. 1 with the lid in an open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a photograph of a container according to an embodiment of thepresent invention, taken from above the open lid. FIG. 2(a) is aphotograph of the container of FIG. 1 showing the foot pedal in moredetail. The container includes a can (the container body) 10, a lid 14,and a foot pedal 13. As shown in FIG. 1, the activation mechanism thattransmits the action of the foot pedal 13 to the lid 14 includes a firstwire 11 and a second wire 12 disposed inside the can 10. The first wire11 (hereinafter referred to as the horizontal wire) is disposed in agenerally horizontal direction across the bottom of the can 10, and thesecond wire (hereinafter referred to as the vertical wire) is disposedin a generally vertical direction along the sidewall of the can 10 at aperipheral location generally opposite to the foot pedal 13.

As shown in FIG. 2(b), the foot pedal 13 is partially disposed inside ofthe can 10 (the part visible in FIG. 1) and partially outside of the can(see FIG. 2(a)) through a horizontal opening 10 a near the bottom of thecan 10. The pedal is attached to the bottom of the can by a foot pedalmounting member 13 a, which includes a hinge 13 b held by a number ofsnap holds. The mounting member allows the foot pedal to pivot around ahorizontal axis E (see FIG. 1) as indicated by an arrow A in FIG. 2(b).As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2(b), the axis E is located at a distance fromthe periphery (side wall) of the can. In a preferred embodiment, thedistance is approximately 1 inch. Because the axis E is located insidethe can rather than close to the side wall as in some conventionaldesigns, it forms a longer leverage (from the point where the force isapplied to the axis E), providing optimum angular travel and force foractuation. In a preferred embodiment, the hinge 13 b is approximately 3⅛″ long. The single hinge, compared to two separate small hinge pointsat the ends of the mounting member used in some conventional designs,ensures proper alignment of the food pedal for smooth and accurateaction. Further, the mounting member 13 a is located at the base(bottom) of the can, instead of on the wall of the can as in someconventional designs. This design provides optimum grounding forstability.

As shown in FIG. 2(b), the foot pedal has a double-angledcross-sectional shape when viewed along the direction of the pivotingaxis E. This profile provides a leveled portion for the user's foot andhas an anti toe slip effect. During actuation, the angled profile alsoprovides a pull instead of a push action, so that the can would not slipbackwards away from the user's foot.

The horizontal wire 11 has three segments: a main segment 11 a which isstraight, a first bent segment 11 b, and a second bent segment 11 c (notvisible in FIG. 1). When assembled, the first bent segment 11 b connectsto the vertical wire 12, and the second bent segment 11 c extends underthe foot pedal 13 through the opening 10 a to the outside of the can 10(see FIG. 2).

The shape of the horizontal wire 11 is illustrated in FIGS. 3(a)-3(c).FIG. 3(a) is a perspective view; FIG. 3(b) is viewed along a directionparallel to the main segment 11 a, and FIG. 3(c) is viewed in adirection perpendicular to a plane defined by the main segment 11 a andthe first bent segment 11 b. As shown in FIG. 3(b), the first bentsegment 11 b and the second bent segment 11 c are bent in a way suchthat the angle between a plane formed by the main segment 11 a and thefirst bent segment 11 b and a plane formed by the main segment 11 a andthe second bent segment 11 c is 28°. As shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(c),the angle between the main segment 11 a and the first bent segment 11 bis 80°, and the angle between the main segment 11 a and the second bentsegment 11 c is 120°. The wire forms a loop 11 d at the end of the firstbent segment 11 b, and a hook 11 e at the end of the second bent segment11 c. The loop 11 d lies in a plane perpendicular to the plane formed bythe main segment 11 a and the first bent segment 11 b (see FIG. 3(c)).The hook 11 e lies in the plane formed by the main segment 11 a and thesecond bent segment 11 c (see FIG. 3(b)).

The shape of the vertical wire 12 is shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b). Thevertical wire 12 has a main segment 12 a, an upper segment 12 b, a hook12 c at the lower end of the main segment, and a short handle 12 d atthe top of the upper segment. As shown in FIG. 4(b), the main segment 12a, the upper segment 12 b and the hook 12 c lie in the same plane andthe upper segment 12 b is bent by 15° with respect to the main segment12 a. The handle 12 d is perpendicular to the plane formed by segments12 a, and 12 b. When assembled, the hook 12 c passes through the loop 11d of the horizontal wire 11 and is thus coupled to the horizontal wire,and the bent upper segment 12 b passes to the outside of the can 10through a vertical slit 10 b near the top of the can (see FIG. 1). Theslit 10 b has a width slightly larger than the diameter of the wire 12.The handle 12 d is connected to a lid mounting member 16 (described inmore detail later).

The first and second wires are made of a metal wire of approximately 4.5mm in diameter. FIGS. 3(a)-(c) and 4(a)-(b) also indicates the lengthsand other parameters defining the shape of the first and second wires 11and 12. In the above descriptions of the wires 11 and 12, when a value(length, angle, etc.) is given, it should be understood that the valuegiven is approximate and the actual value may vary within a range fromthe given value without affecting the function of the describedcomponents. Similarly, when the terms “horizontal” and “vertical” areused, they should be understood to include near horizontal and nearvertical angles. Those of ordinary skill in the art will be able todetermine without undue experimentation the ranges of lengths, anglesand other parameters of the first and second wires that will provide afunctional product.

When assembled, the main segment 11 a of the horizontal wire is disposedacross the bottom surface of the can 10, and held in place by aplurality of snap holders 15 preferably made of plastic. The use of snapholds here as well as in the pedal mounting member 13 a makes the caneasy to assemble without tools. The snap holders 15 are disposed on thebottom of the can along a length of the main segment 11 a and allow thehorizontal wire 11 to rotate around an axis F that goes through the mainsegment 11 a. In addition, the main segment 11 a passes through the footpedal mounting member 13 a beneath the hinge 13 b, and is held in agroove of the mounting member 13 a. The angle between the rotation axisE of the foot pedal 13 and the rotation axis F of the horizontal wire 11is approximately 26°. When the lid 14 is in the closed position, boththe first bent segment 11 b and the second bent segment 11 c are angledupwards from the bottom floor of the can. When the foot pedal 13 ispressed down, it presses down the second bent segment 11 c and the hooksegment 11 e and causes the wire 11 to rotate around the axis F in adirection such that the angle between the second bent segment 11 c andthe bottom floor of the can decreases and the angle between the firstbent segment 11 b and the bottom floor of the can increases, asindicated by arrows B and C in FIG. 3(b). As a result, the loop 11 dmoves upwards, pushing the vertical wire 12 upwards by the couplingbetween the loop 11 d and the hook 12 c.

As shown in FIG. 5, the lid 14 is mounted on the can 10 via a mountingmember 16. The mounting member has a fixed portion 16 a attached to theoutside of the can 10 near its top, and a pivoting portion 16 b thatpivots with respect to the first portion 16 a as indicated by arrows D.The lid 14 is mounted on the pivoting portion 16 b and opens and closesas indicated by the arrows D. The handle 12 d of the vertical wire 12extends horizontally through a hole in the pivoting portion 16 b. Whenthe handle 12 d moves upwards as a result of the foot pedal beingpressed down, the pivoting portion 16 b pivots in a counterclockwisedirection of the arrow D and the lid 14 opens. Preferably, the fixedportion 16 a and the pivoting portion 16 b are shaped so as to stop themovement of the pivoting portion 16 b before the lid 14 opens to avertical position. Alternatively (not shown), a stopper may be providedon the foot pedal so that the foot pedal is stopped before the lid opensto a vertical position. This allows the lid to close under its ownweight when the foot pedal is released.

Compared to some conventional cans, the activation action of thefoot-activated lid is smoother and more stable. At least two designfeatures contribute to the smoothness and stability of the action.First, the horizontal wire 11 is held near the foot pedal by the groovein the foot pedal mounting member 13 a. Holding the horizontal wire 11at a place near where force is applied (the bent segment 11 c) makes therotation of the horizontal wire less wobbly. Second, the placement ofthe vertical wire is such that its desired motion during activation issubstantially vertical. The slit 10 b through which the vertical wirepasses to the outside of the can is only slightly wider than thediameter of the vertical wire and restricts the lateral wobble of thevertical wire. This makes the movement of the vertical wire more stable.

In an alternative design, the return portion of segment 11 e of thehorizontal wire is longer than the design shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(c),so that it extends more toward the main segment 11 a. In an assembledcan, the end of the hook portion 11 e is located inside the opening 10a, so that when the pedal 13 is pressed down, the end of the hookportion 11 e touches the bottom of the opening, which tends to stop thepressing of the pedal.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodification and variations can be made in the container of the presentinvention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.For example, while the can 10 has a round cross-section in theillustrated embodiment, it may have other shapes such as rectangularcross-section. In addition, the container may be one that can be placedon a countertop and the pedal may be operated by hand instead of foot.Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications andvariations that come within the scope of the appended claims and theirequivalents.

1. A container comprising: a container body; a lid; a lid mountingmember having a fixed portion attached to the container body and apivoting portion attached to the lid, the pivoting portion capable ofpivoting with respect to the fixed portion; a pedal partially disposedinside of the container body and passes through an opening near a bottomsurface of the container body; a pedal mounting member disposed on thebottom surface of the container body, the pedal mounting memberincluding a hinge for pivotally mounting the pedal thereto, the hingebeing located at a distance from a side wall of the container body; andan activation mechanism including: a first wire having a main segmentdisposed horizontally across a bottom floor of the container body, afirst and a second bent segment at each end of the main segment, thesecond bent segment disposed under the pedal, the first and second bentsegments each being disposed at an angle with respect to the bottomfloor of the container body, and the first wire being rotateable aroundthe main segment; and a second wire having a main segment disposedvertically along a side wall of the container body, a lower end of thesecond wire being connected to the first bent segment of the horizontalwire, and an upper end of the second wire having a handle coupled to thepivoting portion of the lid mounting member.